Trilobites over Gigabytes

It was one of those weekends full of torrential downpours and gray skies, so we spent Saturday doing laundry in our sweatpants and hoodies. Then Sunday came...and everyone was a little stir crazy.


Carson nested himself inside a plastic laundry tub, staring blankly at the TV. He spent his time during commercial breaks crouching down and attempting to flip himself over like a turtle. I was humored by this until it had been going on for about 20 minutes. Derek and I exchanged glances and decided it was time to fold the last of the laundry, turn off the TV and kick Ella off of the computer. We needed a little fresh air.


Derek decided on a fossil hunt - so we headed to Germantown Dam.




Their smiles were instantaneous.
Carson splashed in puddles! He threw rocks!
Ella climbed fallen limbs and searched for fossils!

I have acquired a knack for skipping rocks as a result of a childhood spent almost entirely outdoors, so I was excited to share this with the kiddos.

I released the smooth stone toward the water and watched...as it bounced across the cold surface ELEVEN TIMES!

By the time my gaze shifted to the kids, they were both jumping up and down and clapping. It was a proud Mom moment.



O-H-I-O!

(me, patting this rock)
So guys, can you show me where Dayton is? Point to where we are!

(Carson, pointing to himself with both thumbs)
"Carson...right here, mommy!"




and alas, I am a mean mom. Ella was completely embarrassed that...
a. she had to pee outside
b. she became familiar with the term "drip dry"
c. I took a picture of her in the pose.

I warned her that in this family, it's but one of many times she will squat in the woods...so this moment needs to be marked in history. The look on her face was priceless.